Goldendoodle Generations Explained

Algebraic Method:

F1 = Golden Retriever x Poodle

F1b = F1 Goldendoodle x Poodle

F1bb = F1b Goldendoodle x Poodle

F2 = F1 Goldendoodle x F1 Goldendoodle

F2b = F1b Goldendoodle x F1 Goldendoodle

F3 = F1b Goldendoodle x F1b Goldendoodle or F2 Goldendoodle x F2 Goldendoodle

Multigen = Any Goldendoodle breeding consisting of F3 or higher dogs.

More thorough explanations below:

F1 is a pure bred Poodle crossed with a Golden Retriever. F1’s are low to non-shedding puppies. F1’s exhibit hybrid vigour (Generally healthier than both parent dogs). This generation can be good for those with mild allergies, but we recommend going to an F1b or higher generation for those with allergies.

F1b is a pure bred poodle crossed with a F1 dog. F1b’s are more non-shedding than the F1 cross. F1b’s exhibit less hybrid vigour but do still benefit from it. This generation is more suitable for those with more severe allergies.

F1bb is an F1b crossed with a Poodle. F1bb’s are non-shedding. Often if an F1b carries for Improper Coat and you are wanting puppies suitable for allergy sufferers, you can cross the F1b back to the Poodle to maintain a proper coat.

F2 is a F1 crossed with another F1. I do not breed F2’s. The only reason for this is 25% of the litter will have straight coats on average and this is not a trait that I want to breed into my dogs, as they will shed and not be good for allergy sufferers. That being said 75% of the litter have wavy to curly coats. F2’s can be anywhere from heavy shedding to low-shedding to non-shedding.

F2b is an F1 crossed with a F1b. If tested for Improper Coat, these should be non-shedding and good for allergy sufferers.

F3 is a F2 crossed with and F2 or an F1b crossed with and F1b. These when tested for Improper Coat, should be non-shedding and good for allergy sufferers. Most often you will see the F1b to F1b cross for F3’s.

Multigen is a any breeding consisting of two Goldendoodles bred together that have an F3 or higher parent. Ex. F3 to F3, F3 to F1b, F2b to multigen, etc…

It is important to understand generations so that we are producing puppies with consistent traits that are good for allergy sufferers and have proper coats, but generation is not as important as coat testing and focusing on specific traits of each individual dogs including structure and temperament.

Genetics do not work on a percentage basis. So, by breeding an F1 to an F1b you get an F2b which in theory you will get 62.5% Poodle and 37.5% Golden Retriever, but in reality you could have one puppy in that litter that took on majority of the Poodle traits  and one that took on majority of the Golden traits. This is why as a breeder you need to assess each individual parent for structure, temperament, health testing and coat testing. When breeding an F1b I would first test the dog for Improper Coat (IC), Curl and now the newly available Shedding gene. If that puppy came back carrying two Furnishings genes (No IC), two Curl genes and Two non-shedding genes, I would be able to breed that dog to a Golden Retriever, F1 Goldendoodle or any other Goldendoodle and have proper coats. So, I would next assess the dog’s structure and temperament. If this dog had a more active temperament and long legs and leaner structure of the Poodle, I would consider breeding to a dog with more Golden Retriever to get a thicker structure and calmer temperament. This could go the other way though too, if the F1b carried for IC and non-curl. I would not be able to breed that dog to a Golden or an F1 Goldendoodle, due to getting improper coats, shedding and allergy issues. I would then find an F1b or higher generation male that didn’t carry for IC or non-curl and would decide on that male based on structure and temperament. If the female was very active and had the long legs and lean structure of the Poodle, I would find a male that had more of the Golden structure and temperament.

Mendelian Method: 

F1 = Golden Retriever x Poodle

F1b = F1 Goldendoodle x Poodle

F2 = F1 Goldendoodle x F1 Goldendoodle

=  F1b Goldendoodle x F1 Goldendoodle

= F1b Goldendoodle x F1b Goldendoodle

= F1 Goldendoodle x F1bb Goldendoodle

= F1 Goldendoodle x F2 Goldendoodle

= F1 Goldendoodle x Multigen Goldendoodle

= F1b Goldendoodle x F3 Goldendoodle

= F1bb Goldendoodle x F3 Goldendoodle

= F1 Goldendoodle x F3 Goldendoodle

F2b = F2 Goldendoodle x Poodle

F3 = F2 Goldendoodle x F2 Goldendoodle

= F2 Goldendoodle x F3 Goldendoodle

= F2 Goldendoodle x Multigen Goldendoodle

= F2b Goldendoodle x F2 Goldendoodle

= F2b Goldendoodle x F3 Goldendoodle

= F2b Goldendoodle x F2b Goldendoodle

F3b = F3 Goldendoodle x Poodle

Multigen = F3 Goldendoodle x F3 Goldendoodle

= F3b Goldendoodle x F3b Goldendoodle

= F3 Goldendoodle x Multigen Goldendoodle

This method of doing generations comes from mendelian genetics. This was a great method for Gregor Mendel to identify dominant and recessive genes. This method however is misleading when being used for breeding dogs. The reason why this is misleading is when people in the breeding community think about an F2, they think of an F1 bred to another F1, which is a cross that many breeder avoid and is also 50% Golden Retriever and 50% Poodle. If we also label an F1bb bred to another F1bb as also F2, which is 87.5% Poodle as a percentage, but could be even more with a breeder that isn’t paying close attention to structure and temperament of each breeding pair. To label both of these matings as the same thing will ultimately be detrimental to the breed as a whole if people aren’t aware of the background of each mating.

Both Charts are Good and Bad:

There are so many different generation charts out there and every breeder seems to call each generation something different. This can be confusing and when there isn’t any consistency it can be misleading using a lot of these labels.

I think what we really need to start with as breeders is identifying what are goals are as breeders. My personal goal as a Goldendoodle breeder is to produce a dog with the stockier build of the Golden Retriever, with the the intelligence of the Poodle and more laid back temperament of the Golden Retriever. Also, long term I hope to have all my dogs have two furnishing genes, like the Poodle, but maintain a combination of wavy coats and loose curly coats. These goals are going to be slightly different for each breeder, but you will find the majority of breeders of Goldendoodles are looking for something along these lines.

One thing everyone can agree on is the first few generations, as follows:

F1 = Golden Retriever bred to a Poodle

F1b = F1 bred to a Poodle

F1bb = F1b bred to a Poodle

F2 = F1 bred to another F1

After the F2 generation there is debate on how to move forward with proper terminology.

There is a field of thought that we should use proper Mendelian genetics for naming each generation. This would go by the theory that each generation is characterised by one number higher than the parent breeds lowest generation. Ex. F2 to F2 = F3, but also F2b to F1 = F2, F7 to F1 = F2, F3b to F1b = F2, while this works genetically, this was used to identify inheritance of genes and was used with a model of breedings siblings together to identify genes. So a true F1 bred to another F1 producing F2’s would be siblings bred together to produce second generation offspring (F2), which is not what we want to do when breeding. I also feel with the amount of backcrossing to a Poodle that goes on in Goldendoodles would actually make this type of charting not helpful and can in some ways be misleading.

The other train of thought is to do generations using an algebraic method. By doing this an F1b to F1 = F2b, F2b to F1 = F3b, F3b to F1b = Multigen, etc. The problem with this method is it is not correct filial labeling either and we as breeders don’t want to put things our there that are genetically wrong.

I suggest that we do neither of these methods! Our focus needs to be less on specific generation and more on structure, temperament and DNA’d coat type to make future decision on what to breed to. Genes don’t work on a straight percentage basis. You will get some F1b’s that have taken on a lot of Poodle traits and some F1b’s that have taken on a lot of Golden Retriever traits. We need to sit down with each breeding dog and evaluate all their traits and what we feel they have taken after more to make proper breeding decisions. We also need to DNA test each breeding dog for coat traits, such as Furnishings and Curl (Can also do Shedding locus if wanted).

If I have an F1b that is long and lean and has a curly coat, that tests as two curl genes and two furnishing genes​, we know that this dog has taken on more Poodle traits than Golden Retriever traits, so making a decision to breed the dog to a Poodle, would not be a wise decision when you are striving for specific breeding goals.

My proposition for deciding on what generation to breed a dog to is to have an evaluation of each dog you wish to breed. Many breeders make these decisions based on mathematical generation and emotional attachment to their dogs. We need to take the emotional attachment away to make objective decisions. Then we need to look at the strengths and weaknesses of each individual dog and pair them with a mate that complements them based on structure, temperament and coat traits.

***Note: This is purely a discussion on breeding generations. We assume in all breeding decision that we are always making sure that each individual dog has passed their health testing thoroughly and is conformationally sound before any breeding every takes place.